The present invention relates generally to the field of pet toys and exercise devices for pets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for the amusement and exercising of large breed dogs.
As dog owners are well aware, large breed dogs greatly enjoy chasing and catching certain objects and tugging and pulling against the object as if in a tug-of-war match. Also, as dog owners are aware, most dogs enjoy the chase and ensuing pulling match even more if the object of the dog""s attention is thrown or pulled with an unpredictable movement other than anticipated by the dog.
Various types and configurations of dog tug toys have been known and widely used for years as therapeutic and entertainment tools. Examples of dog tug toys are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,272 to O""Rourke; U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,202 to Garrison; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,086 to Way.
A variety of suspended animal exercise and amusement devices have also been developed over the years. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,241 to Line discloses an animal exercise and amusement device consisting of a vertical post, a hollow shank attached to the top of the post, and a rope or elastic cord with a play toy connected that is attached through the shank to the post. U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,032 to Krietzman et al. discloses a pet toy and exercise device comprising a plurality of wands, a tether and a target object that is mounted over the top of a door to allow a pet to interact with the device. Krietzman et al. may further include a counterweight and a stop mounted on the tether to increase the eccentricity of the orbit of the object. U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,771 to Mathews describes an exercise and amusement toy for pets including a reinforced rubber tube stuffed with sponge rubber that is attached to a rope which is in turn attached to a resilient tether suspended from a mounting bracket, tree limb, or other horizontal member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,510 to Tae-Ho describes a pet toy consisting of a stuffed play object at the end of a tether that is secured to flexible telescoping wand that may be secured to a vertical surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,922 to Lind describes a device for the amusement of pets including a flat horizontal base and a post secured to the base to which a coiled spring with a cord and a pet toy is suspended. U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,855 to Galkiewicz discloses an entertaining and exercising toy comprising a rod to which a non-stretchable cord is attached, a pet toy being attached to the cord and a human operator manipulates the rod. U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,499 to Manchester discloses an animal amusement and exercising device consisting of a base and a horizontal member that is attached to the base to which a rope containing a pet toy is attached. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,727 to Thompson discloses a mobile unit for a kitten or similar small animal and includes at least two freely suspended rods, one of which is suspended from the other. Thompson is designed for a light animal and is strictly designed to produce an irregular bounding type movement to intrigue a kitten or other small animal.
Applicant believes that all of the aforesaid efforts have been designed to address the entertainment and therapeutic needs of either different animals than those contemplated to be entertained by the present invention and/or to assess those needs in a different way. The present invention is provided to create an amusement device wherein the counterweight mechanism and the ratio of the support point bar length combine in a critical manner to provide a resistant force for the amusement of dogs.
In accordance with the present invention, applicant provides a suspended dog amusement apparatus, system and method for amusing and exercising large breed dogs. The apparatus comprises a bar having proximal and distal ends and a center point, a first suspension element for suspending the bar from a horizontal member at a support point on the bar, a weight element secured to the bar that applies a first gravitational torque to the bar about the support point, and a second suspension element secured to the bar that comprises a strand-like member attached to a resilient dog toy and which produces a second gravitational torque to the bar about the support point. In a preferred embodiment, the total length of the bar is in the range of 3 to 4 feet, the ratio of the distance between the distal end of the bar to the support point and the distance between the proximal end of the bar to the support point is approximately 3:1, and the weight element has a weight in the range of about 7 to 10 pounds. When the apparatus is at rest, the gravitational torque forces produced by the weight element and the second suspension element are in counterbalanced equilibrium. When a dog engages the apparatus, the first and second gravitational torques are such as to provide an unpredictable and random movement of the resilient dog toy.
A suspended dog amusement system is also disclosed that comprises the above-referenced elements plus a first suspension system comprising a strand-like member, an anchor, and a plurality of pass-through devices for raising and lowering of the apparatus by the dog""s owner.
Finally, a method for providing amusement and exercise to a dog is disclosed comprising the steps of providing a dog and a suspended dog amusement apparatus comprising the above-referenced elements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a dog amusement apparatus for the amusement and exercise of large breed dogs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a suspended dog amusement apparatus that exhibits unpredictable and random movement when engaged by a dog.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of amusing and exercising large breed dogs with a random movement suspended dog amusement apparatus.
Some of the objects of the invention having been stated hereinabove, other objects will become evident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.